Chapter 12

CATALINA

I woke with a gasp, shooting up from the bed. My heart was racing from my conversation with my fathers. Was it all just a dream?

Did that conversation really happen? It sure as hell felt real. The Goddess of Night was my mother, and she was coming for me.

Why? What the hell did I do to her? I wished I could’ve asked my fathers these questions. But they ended the dream before I had a chance.

Clearly, they only meant to warn me but not help. Best parents ever. It was then that I noticed how quiet it was.

No arguing, no mate nearby to greet me. Where was everyone? I shifted until I was no longer in the bed, making my way to the bedroom door.

In no time I was down the stairs and heading to the living room, only to stop in shock at the scene in front of me. All of my mates were passed out in various positions across the furniture.

Well, my eyes drifted to Jayden standing in the far corner. All except one. My magic swelled inside me, my lycan rising to the surface.

“What did you do to them?” My voice was calm, with an undertone of darkness to it. If he was responsible for the state of my mates…

Lucky for him I could feel them, so I knew they were only passed out. He glared at me, pushing himself from the wall.

“I did nothing.” Ignoring him, I moved to the mate closest to me, Nick.

Dropping to the floor next to him, I laid a hand on his chest, then immediately pulled it back. He was burning up.

I’d never felt him so hot before. “Nick?” I called out, poking his cheek. His eyes snapped open, making me jump back in surprise.

They weren’t his normal silver, but a deep blood red. “Little wolf, I feel—” His back arched from the floor.

As embarrassing as it was to admit, a small scream left me. I’d seen enough horror movies to know that was a bad sign.

“Get back, Catalina!” A pair of arms wrapped around my midsection, pulling me from the floor and back against a warm chest.

I fell back against Mateo, just as Nick released a loud growl—a sound I’d never heard from him.

“What’s going on?” I asked in despair. He seemed to be in pain. I should be helping him.

“He’s shif—” Before my eyes, Nick expanded in size. His once fair skin now brimming with red scales.

A large reptilian tail smashed against the couch, knocking it against the wall. I gaped at him.

“Fuck! Did he just turn into a dragon?” I was almost tempted to rub my eyes in disbelief. “Can Fae do that?”

“No.” I felt Lucien’s lycan next to me. But when I looked over, it was Kol standing there, yellow eyes glowing.

“What the fuck?” I was momentarily distracted from the giant dragon in the room. Why was I feeling Lucien’s lycan in Kol?

“Something’s not right here,” Mateo mumbled. I craned my neck to get a look at him, eyes widening.

His mouth was slightly parted, and I could see two fangs protruding from his gums. My dragon had fangs that I was one hundred percent sure weren’t there before.

“What the fuck?” I repeated. Nick let out a loud roar, a burst of flames leaving his mouth.

It traveled right toward Sebastian, who was slowly waking up. “Sebastian!” I screamed in alarm.

Wasn’t being burned alive one of the ways a vampire could die? I was trying to figure out a way I could help him in time when something else happened.

Shadows started to swirl around him. In less than a second, he was no longer in that spot, which was now burned from the flames.

I had a feeling Lucifer was going to kill us all after this, destroying his home. Speaking of…

My eyes darted around in search of him and Lucien. “Did you just use my shadows?” Kol sputtered.

The comical look on his face almost pulled a laugh from me. Sebastian stood next to me, shock written clearly on his face.

A look I was sure all of us had. “Where did Lucien and Lucifer go?” They were no longer in the room.

Unless they were behind the big dragon body. “Mateo, is there any way you can help Nick shift back?” It was clear to me now what was happening here.

Somehow, my mates had switched powers. Nick now possessed Mateo’s dragon, Kol had inherited Lucien’s lycan, Sebastian wielded Kol’s shadows, and Mateo had become a vampire.

That left Lucien and Lucifer. One of them had Nick’s powers, and the other had Lucifer’s. Both were unaccounted for.

“We have to find them and figure out what the hell is going on.” I wondered what happened while I was passed out. Did someone attack us?

Suddenly, Nick took off. The flap of his wings sent the rest of us flying backward.

I’d never seen Mateo shift before, and if it was anything like the beast in front of us, he was more powerful than I thought.

This dragon was enormous, his head almost touching the ceiling. His wingspan stretched from wall to wall, forcing us to crouch as he flapped them to avoid getting hit.

With a final roar, he lunged through the wall, demolishing it without any remorse. Yup, Lucifer was going to kill us.

As we watched him fly away, we noticed two figures standing in the courtyard. Two very familiar figures.

“There they are!” I rushed to the destroyed wall, then paused. What were they doing?

Why did it look like they were in a standoff? Carefully making my way through the debris, I set off toward them, an uneasy feeling in my gut.

The rest of my mates followed me, most looking uncomfortable. It must have been strange for them not having the powers they were born with.

Suddenly, a force slammed into my back, causing me to stumble and fall. “Shit, Cat, I’m sorry,” Mateo’s voice was full of remorse as he extended a hand to help me up.

“I didn’t expect to move so fast.” His cheeks reddened at the admission. He must’ve been running to catch up with me but forgot about the vampire speed.

Kol growled from behind him. “Watch it, dragon.” His eyes flashed yellow as he looked me over, no doubt checking for injuries.

My lycan purred in appreciation, apparently unfazed that we were looking at Kol and not Lucien. From further away, shouting refocused me on my mission.

What the hell were Lucifer and Lucien arguing about? Why did they leave the group? I was within hearing distance when the next words from Lucien’s mouth made me freeze.

“I warned you what would happen if I ever got your powers,” he said, grinning menacingly.